A Leverage Christmas Carol
by Ultrawoman
Summary: Its Christmas time and Eliot Spencer isn't really in the spirit. We all remember what happened last time a man with the initials E.S. needed the help of a few ghosts to see what Christmas was really about, right? The whole team is here for festive fun!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, here we are at the promised Leverage Christmas fic. I hope its everything that you guys want it to be...**

_**(Disclaimer: All recognisable characters belong to John Rogers & Chris Downey and other folks that aren't me... and possibly I stole from Charles Dickens too, a little bit.)**_

Chapter 1

Eliot was the only one who didn't follow Parker out into the snow when it started up outside of McRorys. He already knew it was going to be fake, he smelt the chemicals on the way in - it was a very distinctive smell. It was all just another of Hardison's geek tricks to try and win the little thief over. He really was dumb enough to think he could still do that apparently. Eliot Spencer wanted no part of it, nor their childish Christmas crap. It wasn't that he hated the Holiday season exactly, it was just... well, he kinda hated it actually.

The sword was very cool, he hadn't lied when he told Nate and Sophie how grateful he was for his gift, but now he just really wanted to get out of here. All the cooing and awing over fake snow and the sugar-coated family togetherness crap was starting to get real old real fast.

"I'm heading out" he called to the four backs beyond the glass.

It seemed only Sophie cared enough to turn around.

"Don't leave yet" she urged him as she stepped back inside, wrapping her arms around herself, "In fact, the rest of us were staying over to spend tomorrow together. We thought you might want to..."

"What? Cook dinner? Play Santa? Any other happy family Christmas crap you all feel like recreating from your happy little childhoods?" he asked, perhaps a little more harshly than he should but he'd really had just about as much Christmas cheer as he could take today.

"We didn't all have happy childhoods, man" said Hardison with a pointed look and a nod of his head toward Parker.

Eliot might have felt at least a little guilty, if the woman in question hadn't turned and bounded at him then, practically launching herself at his Santa-suited self.

"Stop being a Mr Grumpy-Pants Santa Man!" she urged him, either trying to hug him or dance with him, the hitter couldn't be sure, and he wasn't amenable to either plan right now.

"Dammit, Parker!" he complained, "Get offa me!" he told her, shoving her away, not least because he was afraid he was going to accidentally run her through with the Samurai sword still attached at his waist.

"Hey, there's no need for hostility" said Nate, not amused by Eliot dampening the mood, especially when Parker had been so excited before, "It's Christmas" he reminded them all.

"Yeah, 'cause that automatically means the world's a beautiful place" the hitter grumbled, rolling his eyes as he moved to the bar and downed the shot that sat there waiting, "If it wasn't already clear, I don't like the Holidays and I ain't celebratin' 'em here or anywhere, you got that?" he told them all, practically seething as he turned and strode away towards the back door.

"You'll be sorry!" Parker called after him, her tone less threatening than one might expect.

Eliot waved a hand over his hand, a gesture of not caring or just goodbye, it was hard to tell, and then he was gone, the door slamming in his wake.

"Well" Sophie huffed, blowing her bangs off her forehead, "isn't he just a little ray of sunshine?" she said, sarcasm evident.

"Man, I can't believe he actin' like that" Hardison shook his head, "You'd think the dude would have just a little Christmas spirit" he said, showing a small amount with his thumb and index finger.

"I guess the Holidays aren't always a happy time for everybody" Nate shrugged, knowing from experience how true that could be.

They couldn't know what might've happened in Eliot's past that made this time of year hard for him. Still, it might've been nice if he kept a lid on it for the sake of the others, just for a little while longer. Parker, in particular, got so very into the Holidays, and yet she didn't exactly look heart-broken over the outburst and storming out that had gone before.

"Are you okay, sweetie?" Sophie asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Uh-huh, yeah" the thief agreed as she turned to smile widely at her friends.

The team expected her to be so much more upset by Eliot's outburst, but they were glad enough that she was okay, even if they did wonder what the almost wicked smirk she was sporting was really all about. Maybe she just didn't care about Eliot's presence in her Christmas as much as they thought she might, or perhaps she was happy enough to believe that he would learn his lesson for being so mean. Either way, she was smiling, and that was better than some had managed tonight.

* * *

><p>Eliot hadn't lied when he told the team he only slept ninety minutes a day. When they were on a job, he usually didn't get much more shut-eye than that, and he could deal. Of course, eventually he did have to catch up and tonight it seemed like a solid plan to do just that. There would be no job for a few days, not with it being the Holidays and all. The team would want to enjoy themselves with silliness and frippery that Eliot could live without being a part of. Not long after eleven, he was showered and changed and tucked up in bed, happy to sleep til New Years. Unfortunately, someone else seemed to have other ideas.<p>

The alarm clock went off at midnight, startling Eliot awake. The alarm never went off because he simply never set it. His own internal clock served him well and he really never needed the help of an electronic device. If nothing else, the sun would wake him when dawn broke, he certainly had not expected a rude awakening in the middle of the night, less than an hour since he dropped off.

Sitting up fast, he was battle ready the moment he realised there was someone by the open bedroom door that had definitely been closed when he got into bed. The figure of a woman was backlit by the window in the hall but Eliot was smart enough to know even those who appeared harmless at first could be deadly. His hand moved back towards the night-stand, reaching for a weapon he soon realised he didn't need as the light came on overhead and the woman at his door became very clear.

"Wow" said Parker with a smile that could not be repressed, "Looks like I owe Hardison five bucks"

"Dammit, Parker!" Eliot complained as he let his fight stance go and sat down heavily on the end of the bed, "What the hell?" he added with frustration, pushing his hand back through his hair.

"He said you'd wear boxers. I figured you were more of a commando kinda guy" she shrugged as she wandered into and around his bedroom, "I like your house" she said then, off at a tangent as ever as her eyes shifted around the room and were on Eliot's mostly naked self more often than he was quite comfortable with.

"You come for a real reason or just for the view?" he smirked in spite of himself, wondering now that he looked at her why she seemed to be dressed up like Tinkerbell or similar.

Of course, Parker being Parker, it seemed pointless even asking why she was all frills and glitter, and legs that went on for miles...

"You're staring" she told him as she suddenly turned around and caught him with his head practically sideways and eyes trained on her lower half, "Naughty boys don't get on Santa's good list" she reminded him, shaking a finger as if to scold him - well, that just made her hotter, but nonetheless annoying.

"Parker..." he sighed, having had enough of this already, "It's past midnight"

"I know" she nodded once, "Which means in less than one hour, the first ghost will appear, and then there'll be two more..."

"Wait a second, what?" Eliot interrupted her then, waving his hands in a 'hold it' motion, "Ghosts are comin'? Where'd you even get this crap?"

"It's not crap, Eliot" said Parker definitely, arms folded over her chest crossly, "You've lost the Christmas spirit, and the ghosts are coming to help you get it back. You have to believe" she told him desperately, looking more upset with him for not taking her seriously than angry about it.

He almost wanted to agree with her, to let her have her little weird daydream, make-believe fairytale if it made her happy. He did feel just a little guilty about maybe hurting her before. It wasn't what he meant to do, he just wasn't into all the Holiday family fun stuff that the rest of the team seemed so eager to throw themselves into. It wasn't him, he had his reasons, and he didn't have to explain himself to anyone.

"You're wrong" she told him suddenly, making him look up fast, "Your reasons aren't reasons anymore, and you will have to explain" she told him, apparently having read his mind somehow.

Eliot knew it was impossible, but it was still a little freaky, even for Parker. Frowning hard he stood up from the bed and stared at her a moment before making a decision. This had to end now.

"Okay, nice try, Parker" he told her, "This is all a fun little game, making out like I'm Eberneezer Scrooge or whatever..."

"Well, you do have the same initials" she noted, even as he advanced on her looking kinda mad.

"Time to leave now. Off ya go, bye-bye" he told her, reaching out to put his hands to her shoulders and steer her towards the door - that was when he realised things were not quite all they seemed.

"That tickles" Parker giggled like a kid as Eliot's hands passed through her body and met each other in the middle, "Mmm, do it again" she urged him, all trace of the child gone in an instant as she looked at him in such a way as to make a man lose his mind.

Of course, Eliot was already pretty sure he was going crazy since his hands just passed through a person! This was Parker, she wasn't a ghost or a dream or anything. No, he was sure he was awake, but this couldn't be real.

"This is a trick" he said as he stared at her, "Hardison is doin' this, some kinda hologram or..." he shook his head, no easy explanation coming to mind and the look on Parker's face suggesting she was very serious about this.

"It's not a trick" she said definitely, reaching out a hand as if to touch his face and then pulling her arm down clean through his body.

Eliot's eyes were wide as saucers as he watched her do it. This was crazy, totally and completely impossible. Maybe he was asleep. Hell, maybe somebody fed him drugs or clocked him on the head and he just didn't know about it yet. Something was really not right here.

"I don't..." he began, but just as soon as he moved his eyes to meet Parker's again he realised she was gone, nothing left of her but a feint haze of glitter in the air where she'd been stood a moment before.

Dropping back down to sit on the edge of the bed a second time, Eliot put both hands over his face and then pushed his fingers through the length of his hair.

"This ain't happening" he told himself definitely, crawling back under the covers and wishing the world away.

He didn't believe this ghost crap, and he wasn't in A Christmas Carol, even if he did share the E.S. initials of its anti-hero. This was all some kind of stupid-ass prank and he wasn't buying. Still, as he closed his eyes and willed sleep to come he could've sworn he heard Parker's voice in the sound of the wind blowing outside his window.

"_Expect the first ghost when the bell tolls one!"_

_To Be Continued..._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, so... I'm really disappointed. Over 200 people apparently read Chapter 1 and nobody left me a review? Thats a little sad. I mean, somebody out of all those people must've liked this, right? Please, if you're reading, let me know. Just a quick note to say its good or not, whatever, because right now I'm wondering why I'm making any effort with this fic at all. At least I thought it was a good idea... maybe not? :(**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 2

Eliot Spencer was not asleep. He really wished he was, but he wasn't.

There was no way Parker rattled him with her ghost talk, at least that what he was telling himself, but rest was not happening either which way now as his eyes kept on opening and straying to the clock that blinked 12:27, then later 12:39, closer and closer towards one a.m. when supposedly some new ghost was going to arrive.

There were five minutes to go when Eliot caught himself checking the time again and got so angry with himself that he almost bust his pillow open the way he socked it in the middle. He turned the clock to the wall and his back to the clock, deciding this was all just stupid (for about the eighth time in an hour) and that he wasn't going to play whatever childish game it was that Parker and Hardison had cooked up.

Five short minutes later he was rethinking a lot of things.

"C'mon, rise and shine, big fella!" a voice called to him, a voice he recognised too well.

Though his eyes popped open, Eliot didn't move, didn't roll over towards the man he was sure was stood by the other side of his bed now. As if he wouldn't recognise the voice, he could even smell the faint lingering of scotch, and feel the cold as if somebody just came in from outside.

"They got you in on this too" the hitter ground out, still not moving, "Thought you were better than this, Ford"

"Oh, Ford now, huh? Back to last names" he considered, "Well, _Spencer_" he said pointedly, "I don't know why it is you think this is anything other than what you were told it was but..." he paused and suddenly Eliot found the bedclothes whipped up off him, straight up like gravity meant nothing, "Either way, you're going to listen to me" said Nate with a smile that was border-line evil as Eliot finally looked at him, now stood at the foot of the bed.

Eyes shifting up to the ceiling where his covers now seemed to be suspended out of reach, the hitter was less than impressed. He glared back at Nate then, though the mastermind looked uhphased by it.

"This ain't funny" Eliot told him, as he climbed out of bed and pulled on his jeans and shirt, "Seriously, Nate..."

"It's not supposed to be funny, Eliot" he told him in all seriousness, hands shoved in his coat pockets, "Y'know, nobody in this team you're a part of has had exactly what you'd call a... a smooth ride, but they all make an effort, to be a part of the family"

"Yeah, 'cause _I_ never do" he groused, knowing that was bull - he cooked the food, he watched the dumbass movies he didn't really wanna see, he tried to fit with his family of misfits a not-small part of the time!

"No, no, you do" Nate agreed on that, "but tonight at McRorys?" he reminded him with a shake of his head "It's Christmas, Eliot, that has to mean something. You can't always have hated it"

"How do you know?" the hitter snapped at him, wondering why he was even letting this go on, "Maybe I did"

The way Nate laughed then was eerie. Not his usual drunk laugh or a genuinely happy laugh. This was kind of like that first job they pulled, when they were all stood around in the warehouse and the mastermind amongst them figured out Dubenich's double cross. That laugh right there, that was what this was, and it was as creepy now as it had been the first time.

"I know exactly" he said in answer to Eliot's question, "because... I'm the Ghost of Christmas Past" he told him, hands out his pockets now and arms spread wide.

Though the hitter opened his mouth to tell his so-called friend he was talking crap, he never really got the chance. He was cold, unnaturally so, and all in an instant. It was like he'd been thrown out into an arctic blizzard, since the main colour in front of his face also seemed to be white. Nate was obscured by what might've been snow, and Eliot didn't have time to process how this was happening before it was done. He opened his eyes to realise he was crouched on the floor with his friend stood behind him, though the carpet under-foot was familiar in the strangest way.

"Remember this?" asked the mastermind as Eliot got to his feet and fought to clear his head and vision.

The dizziness that caught a hold of him was like one his worst concussions, but it was gone as fast as it came and he turned from Nate to the scene his friend was apparently watching. Eliot's eyes were wide as saucers as he took in the sight of a room he knew but hadn't seen in so many years. His eyes welled up of their own accord as he looked at his Momma sat in the armchair smiling wide, with his Daddy perched next to her, as Eliot himself, at all of six years old, came pelting into the living room squealing like the child he was, his little sister on his heels.

It was Christmas, no doubt about it, from so many years ago, in the very home Eliot had grown up in. Sure, they hadn't ever stayed in one house too long but his parents and his sister, they were the home he remembered with warmth, love, and affection. Little Eliot tore wrapping paper off a shiny new bike then hugged his folks like it was going out of style as he thanked them for the most wonderful gift he ever got in his life. It was all so simple, so sweet, so perfect.

"How... How'd you do this?" he asked Nate, clearing his throat twice before the words would come, never taking his eyes off the scene in front of him

"Ghost of Christmas Past, remember?" the older man told him, and that at least got Eliot's attention.

He frowned at the very idea of all this ghost bull being brought up again, but when his eyes caught Nate's own gaze, he knew it was true. Somehow it was happening, he was here in a scene long held only in his memory, and this was all very real. His eyes shifted back to the happy family scene and a smile he couldn't control came to his lips.

"So, this is it, right?" he said gruffly, "You show me how I used to love Christmas as a kid and I'm s'posed to be all happy about it now?" he checked, "Newsflash, Nate, a lot changes in thirty years" he said definitely.

Nate or the ghost of whatever he was nodded his head in understanding then.

"Actually, a lot changes in just ten" he said knowingly as he put a hand to Eliot's shoulder and turned him around.

The hitter was about to ask how a ghost could suddenly touch him when all the words and thoughts as well flew out of him. They were in a whole other place now, outside of another familiar house but years later. Before him stood a teenage version on himself, leaning in on a girl with her back against the barn wall as they kissed like they were each others life-line. Eliot smirked at the sight of himself trying for second base, and laughed some when he failed to get it too. Yeah, he remembered this time in his life, and recalling it like this was pleasant enough, so long as he didn't have to think about what came after.

"Pretty girl" said Nate from over Eliot's shoulder, "Aimee, right?"

"Yeah, Aimee" Eliot confirmed, not really seeing anything but himself and the girl he thought he'd love forever stood before him.

His younger-self was smiling as he reached in his pocket and prestened Aimee with the Christmas present that had been burning a hole in his pocket this whole time. She didn't look overwhelmed by the jewellery box, and he'd known she wouldn't even then. She figured it was a prank, he was sure, even said so until she opened and saw it was a very real ring in that box.

"What do ya say, Aims?" Eliot watched his younger self ask, "Gonna make an honest man outta me?"

"Like anybody ever could" she teased him, though there were tears in her eyes and a shake in her voice that betrayed her, "Yes, Eliot. I'll marry you" she assured him.

The scene was perfect, like something out of a movie as he put the ring on her finger and kissed her long and hard. They confessed the love they clearly felt, then took each others hands and ran up to the house to share their news with family and friends. Snow was falling like a fairytale that Christmas Eve, night and there were tears in the eyes of the older Eliot too as he watched them go.

"This Christmas wasn't so bad, was it?" asked Nate.

"No" Eliot shook his head but never turned around, just kept his eyes on the two excited teens as they stumbled up the snowy driveway into the house, all full of joy and laughter and love, "Last good one I had" he noted sadly.

"Yes" the ghost-like Nate agreed, "it really was"

Eliot's vision went blurry then, at least he figured it was his eyes playing tricks as the world before him wavered and shook like an earthquake. All at once it was still again, though things weren't exactly the same as before. Nate strode past Eliot through the snow, more like he was floating above it than really on the ground at all, and headed for the house.

"I never had another Christmas here" the hitter said definitely, rooted to the spot because he had a bad feeling about what he was going to see if he followed Nate to the house.

"No, you didn't" said the Mastermind, waving an arm that seemed to take Eliot off his feet and plant him a distance forward, right by the window of the house where he didn't want to be, "but _she_ did" he pointed out, forcing Eliot to look.

There in his Daddy's chair sat Aimee, just a little older than in the first scene when they'd gotten engaged. Now she was the complete opposite of that happy go-lucky girl, sobbing into a wad of tissue like her heart would break. She had the phone in her other hand, for all of a second, until she threw it violently to the floor, as if it were the source of all her heartache. In a way, Eliot knew it was.

"You didn't come home" said Nate pointlessly since Eliot naturally knew that already.

"No, because I was working" he ground out, eyes flashing angrily as he turned around to face the so-called ghost.

"Were you?" he asked him, eye-brow raised and hands in his pockets, not at all phased as the two men stared each other down.

Eliot wanted to argue, he really did, but somehow he had a feeling he wasn't getting out of this. So caught up in his fury, he wasn't even thinking about how he had come to be here, how crazy it was that he was stood in a real life flashback. All the hitter knew was how angry he felt and how much he'd like to sock Nate in the mouth in this moment.

"I _had_ been working" he insisted, "What was I supposed to do?" he yelled frustratedly, "I couldn't face her after what I'd done" he pointed towards the house where Aimee continue to sob, "I couldn't have her look at me like..."

"Like the man you were becoming?" Nate checked, just as loudly but a lot more calmly, "So to save face and to save maybe breaking her heart in one way, you shattered it completely by not showing up at all?" he smirked annoyingly, "What a big tough guy you are, Eliot"

Blood was boiling in the hitters veins as his hands curled into fists at his side. He couldn't handle this, he closed his eyes against the man who would goad him and his aggravating expression, but nothing could block out the words he said. Over the top of that, he heard Aimee's pleas to know what she'd done so wrong, between bouts of sobbing that broke his heart in two all over again. He caused all this and he tried so hard not to let himself think about it, now he had no choice and it was all this Ghost Nate's fault.

"Shut up, man" he urged him, all the words becoming one long low growl in his throat.

"Why?" asked Nate, seeming to appear in Eliot's view despite the fact his eyes were closed a moment before, "Are you going to deny it? Tell me it wasn't your fault?" he asked him, "C'mon, Spencer, man up! Fight back!" he goaded, until at last the hitter lost control.

With a cry like he was going into battle, he swung a fist at the smiling Nate only to have it go clean through as he ought to have known it would. The mastermind's laughter ringing in his ears, Eliot felt himself fall and he landed with a bump... on his very own bed.

Breathing heavily and shaking from both a cold sweat of shock and all the mixed up emotions running through him, Eliot wasn't sure what was going on as he pulled himself up to sit straight on his bed. This was his room, and he was alone; that was relief enough for the moment.

Letting out a breath, he ran his fingers back through his hair and then shook his head.

"Gotta be a dream" he muttered to himself, "It's gotta be"

_To Be Continued..._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you soooo much to all the wonderful people who left a review on the previous chapter - I really appreciate it :) I think this was maybe my fave chapter to write so far. You'll see why!**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 3

It was two a.m. but Eliot was completely awake this time, ready for whatever the hell came next. This past hour his brain had gone from one end of the scale to the other, from this being some kind of coma dream to it being actual magicks. Neither explanation made sense, nor did any of the in-between, but it was happening and right now there didn't seem much he could do to stop it. May as well accept it for what it was and get the night over with, he thought to himself, as he sat on the end of the bed waiting for the next so-called ghost to show his or her face.

A shadow moved in the hall and in an instant Eliot was there, ready for whatever and whoever might be approaching. Laughter he recognised had him spinning back into his bedroom in a moment, furious at being duped by Hardison of all people.

"Seriously, man?" the hacker chuckled, "You fell for that? This ghost shiz is cool, brah, no doubt!"

"Dammit, Hardison!" Eliot growled, not causing his so-called friend a problem.

As if he wasn't totally used to the hitter's default setting being uber-angry anyway. Right now he was the safest he'd ever been and both of them ought to have known it.

"Can't touch me, Eliot" he said, arms spread wide as he advanced on him, "I am in fact the Ghost of Christmas Present. Y'all understand how this is just a form, right? So you're not all freaked out by the ghost thing?" he explained, and that at least helped Eliot to find his calm since he was too intrigued by what he was being told to stay mad, "See Nate worked for the past, it's where his mind lives, plus he understands some of that pain you went through" he explained, "but me? I'm the here and the now, 'cause this is the age of the geek, baby!"

"Don't call me baby" Eliot sneered, even though he knew it was a turn a phrase before Hardison or the ghost or whatever the hell this guy was started to tell him so.

"I wasn't..." he began, only to be cut off, as usual.

"And if we're goin' someplace, then let's get to goin'" the hitter growled at him, arms crossed over his chest, all mad and defensive as ever he had been, "I don't have all night for this crap"

"Okay, man, chillax. We ain't going far" Hardison smiled slowly like a cat that just ate the canary, "The present is the present after all, so we're going back just a few short hours" he explained as he looked to the high tech watch on his wrist, "Ready, set..." he glanced up at Eliot who was already growing impatient, "Bam! That's what I'm talkin' about" he said then, with apparent glee, as a snap of the hacker's fingers landed them in whatever place they were headed to.

Eliot saw at once it was McRorys, and recognised himself retreating through the back door. This was the moment he walked out on the team after telling them he had no plans to spend his Christmas with them being all holly jolly liked they seemed to want. Even now he felt a little bad about it, and apparently he was here so he could feel worse.

Hardison didn't say a word, just hovered a step behind Eliot, watching the scene unfold between the four members of the Leverage crew left in the bar. At first they looked fine, Parker was even smiling when Sophie checked she was okay, but a moment later she turned her face away and that happy looked vanished. He'd hurt her, and he knew it the moment he pushed her away and shunned her idea of a Happy Christmas with the 'family'. Maybe he hadn't realised just how much pain he caused her until now as he saw her bite her lip, clearly fighting tears.

"I didn't mean to do that" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else, though of course Hardison's ghostly form heard.

"Maybe you shoulda thought about that before" he commented, as Nate and Sophie started bickering behind the bar over whether one of them should go after Eliot or not.

Hardison, the real one in the scene and not the ghost that had brought Eliot here, was off in the corner by himself, pretending to look busy. The fact was, he looked decidedly underwhelmed by the hitter's behaviour too and that was before he ever realised how upset Parker was.

Eliot hated knowing he caused this, hated that he hurt his friends just because he was hurting himself. This time of year, all family and friends, joy and laughter, it reminded him too much of the past, of the things that used to be happy and were then torn asunder, mostly of his own doing. Instead of embracing the happiness he could have found here, he walked out on it.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked, turning his head a little as he spoke, though his eyes kept straying to Parker and how hurt she looked, "If I stayed here... I'd end up screwing up another Christmas for another bunch a people that I... I didn't want to do that"

"Yeah, I see why you wanna paint it that way" Hardison replied with a nod of his head as he walked around in front of Eliot and faced him, "You tryin' to make it sound like you did what was best for your crew, like always. That's cool, but how much of you walking out was to save them the pain, and how much was to save yo' own heart from breakin'?"

Eliot tried to scoff at that but it didn't really come out right. He wasn't supposed to care, to love, to be soft that way, he couldn't afford to be. He was the tough guy, indestructible, inside and out. This was what he told the world, or rather tried to let them believe. The truth was so very much different, and these people, these ghosts that took the forms of his friends, they seemed to know.

"Are we done yet?" he asked crossly, but Hardison only grinned and shook his head.

"Not even close, man" he said as he held his arm aloft and hit the button on the side of his watch.

Everything and everybody moved in a strange fast-forward sort of way and then the scene fogged up like glass, shifted until it made no sense, and then just as fast settled again. Now they were stood just inside the front door of Nate's apartment, watching Nate and Sophie trying to cook, Hardison mending fused fairy lights, and Parker on the couch staring at the vid-screen that was playing, of all things, A Muppet Christmas Carol.

"Welcome to Christmas Day a la Leverage crew" Hardison grinned, arms wide as he walked around in front of Eliot and backed up further into the apartment they called a base.

Eliot wasn't sure what to make of the scene before him. They all looked happy enough, doing what they were doing, not missing him much. Of course, closer inspection always revealed a little more than the obvious, this the hitter knew from experience.

Though Nate and Sophie appeared domestic and like a happy couple in the kitchen, it soon became clear they were neither of them happy at all. The turkey wasn't cooking through, the vegetables were dry boiling, the mashed potatoes were lumpy, and they were blaming each other for every little thing from those food-related issues to a dozen jobs that went south in their pasts.

Switching his gaze to Hardison, the hacker looked okay too, at first. Closer inspection revealed that every few breathes was a heavy sigh, and that the lights he was pretending to be busy with were an easy fix that he should have had done hours ago. He was staying out of the way of Mom and Dad's fighting, and too troubled by Parker to even approach her.

The poor little thief was the most hurt of anyone. Though she pretended to be distracted and amused by the kids movie on the screen, Eliot knew better. Out of everyone, he always figured he knew Parker best because she did the same thing he did. She pretended, she covered up the wounds and hid the past away in a box where it couldn't do any harm. Behind her eyes were years of pain and a brain that worked faster than anyone could imagine. She was a tough cookie, much tougher than she looked, caught between the child she never got to be, and the woman she aspired to become. Too much of the pain inside her showed on her face right now, barely concealed by the fake smile she painted on too often.

Her eyes strayed from the screen to where Eliot stood looking at her now and he honestly wondered for a moment if this weird spell or dream or whatever had gone wrong, that she could actually see him. Then he remembered the clock on the wall behind him as she checked the time there and on her watch, before looking to the coffee table. There was a present lying there, just a small thing in a little box, but wrapped with pretty paper and tied with a huge ribbon, almost bigger than the thing it was stuck to. Before he even crouched down to look more closely, Eliot knew his name was going to be written right there on the label.

"I'm sorry, darlin'" he told Parker, pointlessly since he wasn't really there, or she wasn't, the hitter wasn't totally clear on how this was all happening still.

When the thief got up, grabbing a hold of the carefully wrapped gift, Eliot almost thought he was mistaken, that his intuitive girl had figured out he was there after all. He changed his mind a moment later when she stomped over to the trash bag full of gift wrap and such and tossed the present in with a grunt of frustration. It almost broke Eliot's heart to know he had ruined her day like that.

"You think this is sad?" asked Hardison from his place by the door, "Man, you ain't seen nothin' yet"

Eliot's eyes remained on Parker even as she faded out of sight, replaced by another figure, looking equally as sad. He didn't recognise himself at first until his eyes focused and he shook himself out of a daze.

It was a sorry state of affairs, Eliot realised, as he watched himself return to the couch and flop down into the cushions. The TV he claimed not to have was playing the only channel he could find not filled with Holiday themed viewing, some old black and white movie that he couldn't even name. There was a near-empty bottle of whiskey on the table and another full version parked next to it - no glass.

"Ain't exactly a Merry Christmas here, now is it?" said Hardison as he walked around the couch, shaking his head at the sight.

Eliot couldn't answer, he didn't know what to say. He could say this was all stupid and fake, that he wouldn't've spent Christmas Day like this. The fact of the matter was, he probably would. He had nobody to go to or call but his team, his make-shift family that he had walked out on the night before. He was completely alone and devoid of the Christmas spirit they had tried to help him feel. It was depressing and pointless, and he knew it before the ghost that wore Hardison's face ever told him so.

"See, you thought walking out made it better, save everybody some pain" he explained, "Now you see the truth. All you did was hurt everybody worse, including yourself most of all"

Eliot wanted to look the other way, to not have to see himself looking so sad and pathetic. He wanted not to have the image of Parker in his head, practically in tears as she tossed out the gift she had got for him, something he never expected from her at all. He didn't want the voices of Sophie and Nate in his head, bickering over dinner, and who should go after Eliot, and everything.

A scream akin to a pained animal erupted from Eliot's throat without him really knowing he was making such a sound. His fingers were buried deep in his hair, as if he thought he could make the images and voices running through his head stop that way somehow, he stumbled back through the door into the bedroom. Falling backwards onto his bed, the moment he made contact, Eliot felt everything stop.

The world around him was calm and clear and still as he sat up and peered at his room from behind his hair. There was only one of him and it was night-time again. He was alone and the world was as it should be, for now.

Looking back at the clock, still breathing hard and feeling nauseous, Eliot saw it was only two minutes later than when he first ventured into the hall to seek out the source of the shadow there. All that he had seen and felt had happened in that time, somehow. God, this night was making him dizzy, and making him think far too much about things he didn't want to even consider.

"Maybe that's the point" he whispered to himself as he let himself drop down on the mattress once again.

He made the wrong decision today, he saw it now, but a part of him still couldn't help but wonder if it wouldn't be better for the team as a whole if he walked out for good. So he wrecked Christmas for Parker and the others, that was bad, but if he was capable of being such an ass and hurting people so much so easily, without even really noticing, maybe they'd be better off without him permanently. Maybe that was what the third ghost would show him, the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, but it seemed he had almost an hour to wait before that particular spectre showed up.

_To Be Continued..._


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Big thanks once again to the lovely people leaving reviews on this story! :) I'm sure by now we all know who the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come will be, don't we? Here she comes...**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 4

Eliot almost drifted off to sleep waiting for three o'clock to come around. By now, he knew this whole night of ghostly visits had to be important, still whether it was the time travel or not he wasn't sure, but something was making him feel ridiculously tired. He was drifting in and out of a conscious state when suddenly he thought he heard something. His eyes popped open, but Eliot didn't move a muscle yet. He laid perfectly still on top of the bed, fully clothed as he had been when the Hardison replica had been here. The noise came again, a wailing sound like a woman in pain. Eliot knew who he expected to see before he ever sat up to look, and she didn't let him down.

"Seriously, Soph?" he said, rubbing sleep out of one eye as he observed her waving her arms around in dramatic fashion and wailing still as if in agony, "Do we have to do it like this?"

All at once she let the drama drop and faced him straight on with a look of indignance.

"It's important to become the part, Eliot" she told him, stone faced and hands on her hips, "Do you want the full effect or not?" she asked as he got up off the bed to meet her.

"Not" he confirmed easily, "So, you're the Ghost of Christmas Future, right?"

"Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come, actually" she corrected, adjusting the long flowing black dress she was wearing, as if it made her point for her, "I'm here to show you how things could be if you carry on along this path you've chosen" she explained, "You see, as you've been told, Nate lives mostly in the past, Hardison is for the here and now, whilst I..." she continued, striking a pose the way only Sophie Devereaux could, "I have vision for the future, I see what's coming"

"Fine, I get it, you're smart and you're all-powerful" Eliot humoured her, trying not to roll his eyes for fear of hanging this out any longer, "Let's just get where we're going" he urged her.

Sophie fixed him with a look he'd seen before too many times, equally as unimpressed as it was severe. Sometimes she reminded Eliot a little too much of his Momma when she got mad. Fact was he probably wouldn't feel so bad about that look on her face if he didn't know she had a point. He knew he had to take this all seriously, it was too big a deal to ignore.

"Please, Soph" he urged her, more calmly, "Whatever you wanna show me, let's do it. I'm payin' attention, I swear"

That she did seem to believe as a smile curved her ruby lips, albeit briefly.

"You might not be so very keen to see it when we get there" she advised with a look he didn't much like.

A rush of cold wind almost took Eliot off his feet before he had a chance to wonder too much on what was happening. Seconds later he landed safely in the apartment he knew so well, and yet things were not the same.

This couldn't be Christmas, that much he was sure of, though there was a feint sound beneath his feet that suggested a party downstairs in the bar, the music decidedly festive and jolly. Up here, there was no evidence of joy at all.

"What is this?" he asked, turning to the ghost wearing Sophie's face, "What's goin' on?" he repeated when she did not answer.

"This is Christmas, as it could yet be in the future" she told him flatly, shaking her head sorrowfully as he eyes drifted from Parker to Hardison to her own mirror image, "Not exactly the picture of merriment, are we?"

Eliot was only slightly concerned about his own absence at first. What bothered him more was where Nate might be. Hardison and Parker were at either end of the couch, sighing and grumbling through forty channels of Christmas cheer that brought them no joy, shoving handfuls of junk food into their mouths because clearly nobody bothered to cook anything better.

Sophie was at the island in the kitchen, sipping on a glass of wine. She looked so tired somehow, so much older than she should. She was dressed up as always, like she was supposed to be glamorous, but it was all a facade that was wearing thin. Her eyes held no light anymore, not even when she turned to look towards the stairs at Nate who was tripping down the staircase. Tripping was the word too as he stumbled at the last and very nearly went sprawling.

Eliot watched as Parker looked back at her father figure and found a small smile.

"Hey, you're up" she noted with just a little excitement, "Merry Christmas!" she tried, but he only scoffed at her.

"What's merry about it, Parker? You tell me that" he snapped at her.

"Hey, ain't no call for that" Hardison cut in, but Nate ignored him, snatching up the first bottle of booze he could find and heading back to the stairs.

Sophie made no moves to stop him, though Eliot had been sure she would. She had stopped riding Nate so hard about his drinking but then he had it under control for the most part in their present time. Here in this weird and depressing future, he was as far gone as those first few jobs years ago in LA, maybe more so.

There was a horrible moment when Eliot went deathly pale and swallowed hard so as not to throw up. He wasn't here and Nate was drunk and everyone was so very sad...

"No, you're not dead" said Sophie's voice behind him, much less comforting than she would usually be despite the feel of her hand on his shoulder, "That might have been less painful since it wouldn't have been your fault" she explained, "You _chose_ to leave us" she said bitterly, and Eliot turned angry eyes on her.

He wanted to yell at her and say he wouldn't ever do that, not unless he had to, and there would have to be a hell of a reason to make him walk away like that. Unfortunately, he already knew he couldn't argue. Not long before she appeared to him and brought him here, Eliot had been thinking these very things, thinking how the team might be better off if he just left them behind. The biggest problem was he did believe that Sophie or the ghost or whoever the hell this woman was would know every damn thought he'd had in his head this entire time, just as those that looked like Parker and Nate and Hardison all had. There was no way to argue with your own inner-self, which somehow they all seemed to be embodying on different levels.

"I made it worse" he realised aloud as he looked around the room once more.

Sophie trying not to cry into her wine glass, Hardison trying not to show pain, Nate struggling back up the stairs in another drunken stupor, and Parker, poor heart-broken Parker, whose world had been torn apart once again. Eliot had become just another asshole that walked out and left her behind. He hated himself for even considering it.

"They need you, Eliot" the ghost-like Sophie said simply, "Nate felt like he lost another son, that he failed again when you walked away" she explained, "Hardison thought he had a real brother this time, one that was never going to let him down, but you did" she went on, "For me, this was the one family I thought I could make work, and for Parker... Well, she had the biggest trust issues of anyone, even worse than you" he reminded him, "She put all her faith in the big brave hitter that caught her when she fell and patched her up when she got hurt. She pinned every last hope on a man that she thought could love her as she loved him, and what did you do?" she asked as she stepped around in front of Eliot and glared daggers at him as she produced a snow globe as if from nowhere in her hand, "You smashed her world into smithereens" she snapped, throwing the glass ball to the ground with a resounding crash.

"I didn't do this!" Eliot yelled back at her, "This is just some damn fantasy land! I never walked out on them!"

"You walked out on Christmas last night" she reminded him, "You thought about leaving for good, you know you did!" she shouted back just as loud, though her temper was not so easily lost as his, "You _will_ do this and their lives _will_ fall apart. You don't even care!"

"I wouldn't leave them, not like this!" Eliot insisted angrily, "And not at Christmas!"

Sophie backed off then, a slow smile creeping across her lips as she watched the light dawn in Eliot's eyes. She had manipulated him as the grifter always did, but that didn't take away from the fact that she was right to do so. What she had him admitting was the truth now, and that was all she was ever after.

"So, it does matter that it's Christmas?" she checked, as all the fight drained out of Eliot's body.

She was right and she'd just made him say so. No matter how much he hated being wrong, and he truly did, he had to admit it now, there was no turning away from it. This night had proven to him that certain things were just more important than being the tough guy, and that sometimes choosing the right thing to do wasn't as simple as it seemed.

"It matters that these people are happy" he admitted then, waving an arm in the general direction of the room beyond Sophie's form, "Christmas should be happy, if it can be, and they deserve that"

"They matter deeply to you" said the ghost that wore a grifter's face, "So you say, but we've seen no evidence of late" she reminded him, "This could still be your future"

"No" Eliot insisted, sad and angry and every emotion he tried so hard to bottle leaking out of him too much and too suddenly, "This isn't how it's gonna be. These people are my family, I love 'em too much to let this happen!"

The words were out before he had a chance to check them, a rare moment of acting without thought or instinct but purely on emotion. Sophie was smiling, not in a clever 'gotcha' kind of a way, but warmly, shining like the sun as Eliot looked at her. The long black dress she wore seemed to shimmer as it changed, passing through shades of grey and finally white. She might've been an angel if Eliot didn't know much better than to believe she ever could be.

"That's all we wanted to know" she told him, lifting off the ground, or so she appeared, before a swirl of wind seemed to blow her out of sight and spin the hitter around at the same time.

Eliot found himself facing the scene from before again, Nate's apartment sometime in the future, but the sadness and pain was gone. The mastermind was sober, or close enough. Sophie was radiant and happy, laughing with Hardison who looked genuinely happy too. Then there was Parker, dressed up in the Tinkerbell outfit she had first appeared in, dancing around like a bug on a hot-plate to the overly jolly Christmas pop music pouring from the speakers in the corners of the room. Eliot wasn't sure what was happening, until a voice from the kitchen had him turning around along with everyone else in the place.

"You people gonna stand there messin' around all day, or are you gonna come set this table for the dinner that's almost ready?" asked a duplicate of Eliot himself.

He looked happy, maybe happier than the real Eliot had felt in a long time.

Perhaps he was a fool for thinking that alone was better, that he was saving his team pain by leaving them behind. This was his family and he loved them, all in different ways, but it was so very real. This scene before him wasn't quite so genuine though, something made abundantly clear as it began to shift and break down before his eyes. Eliot felt as if he were flying backwards through the air, away from that happy future scene, but he kept his eyes focused until the last. He saw the team setting the table as he continued to cook, and Parker wandered into the kitchen, putting her arms around him from behind and hugging tight…

Then it was gone, all of it, and with a resounding bump, Eliot landed on his own bed. A face full of mattress was not exactly what he had expected, though maybe he should have, given how this night had gone so far.

Pulling himself up, Eliot glanced towards the clock and saw it flip over at exactly 4.00am. There was no way he'd been gone from here an hour, but then he hadn't been gone only five minutes or less with Hardison. This was just the craziest night of his life, and that was saying something in the life of Eliot Spencer!

Running a hand over his face and then back through his hair, the hitter took a much needed deep breath and then smiled. Sure, all the stores were closed and it was already Christmas morning, but it was still early and he could make this work.

Diving off the bed and hurrying towards the shower, Eliot was making the best ever Christmas plans for his team inside his head that ran at a mile a minute. They wouldn't know what hit them!

_To Be Continued..._


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Big thanx to all those that left reviews on the previous chapter. This chapter is kind of the end only not entirely. I'll explain better after the story ;)**

_**(For disclaimer, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Chapter 5

"I really thought he'd come back today" Sophie sighed as she cradled her coffee cup in both hands and peered over the rim at Hardison and Parker on the couch.

Nate knew she was upset, and honestly he couldn't blame her. The five of them might be an odd little family, but a family none the less. He had hoped that the job they pulled yesterday would bring them closer together not drive them further apart, and yet Eliot was gone and so far had made no effort to come back. There was a void here where the hitter should be, and it was going to taint the entire day, that much was obvious already.

"There's time yet" he said, though he didn't really believe it himself.

It hurt to think that there was one amongst them that didn't care as much as the rest. Eliot might seem like the outsider, like a person that nobody could ever get close to, but that wasn't true. For a man so adept at violence and causing pain, he was probably the one in the team that was usually so protective and kind. He worried for their safety, all of them, even if he pretended not to sometimes. He cooked food to keep them healthy and he was never happy with Nate's drinking, unable to stand idly by when things might go wrong.

"I could get the snow machine runnin' again, if you want?" Hardison was offering Parker as 'Mom and Dad' came to join them.

"No... thanks" she added the nicety as an after thought as she flipped through more options on the TV.

They had just about every possible Christmas movie loaded up as a choice to view, and yet none of them really appealed. The hacker was doing his best to cheer her up, but he and Parker both knew nothing was really going to work. For once she thought she was going to get a true family Christmas, with everyone she loved in the same room, and a happy time for all. Eliot wasn't here, so it wasn't as it should be. If anyone else were missing it'd be bad enough, but somehow his absence hurt most of all, even if she would never say so and could not explain why.

"Well this is bloody sad" Sophie declared as she sat down in the arm chair with a bump, almost upsetting her coffee, "It's Christmas and we're all moping around because one person just..."

Sophie stopped quite abruptly as Parker jumped to her feet, startling everyone.

"Parker?" Hardison checked, mindful of reaching out to her for fear of the reaction he might get.

Only the little thief's eyes moved at first, side to side in silence. Then finally she spoke.

"Do you hear that?" she asked, not waiting for an answer from any of the blank faces looking back at her before she continued, "Sleigh bells" she declared.

"Sleigh bells?" Nate echoed with confusion, first because he couldn't hear anything to begin with and then because he couldn't figure on why he should anyway.

"It's a little late for Santa" Hardison joked, until he saw Sophie smile, "Unless...?"

Parker didn't hear a word as she grinned and hurried towards the door, just in time to have it swing open and reveal who had come to visit. It sure did look like Santa, the outfit, beard, and hat were just right, but those bright blue eyes gave him away as someone even more welcome to the team than good old St Nick.

"Eliot!" the blonde yelled excitedly, just like a kid at Christmas... well, close enough.

"Merry Christmas" said the hitter himself as he strolled in with an appropriately large back swung over his shoulder.

"It certainly can be now" Sophie smiled as everyone moved into the centre of the room together and the girls took turns hugging Eliot.

"Cool to have you here, man" said Hardison offering a hand for a high-five type handshake.

"Cool to be here" his friends replied taking his hand and pulling him into a brotherly embraced, "For morale, okay?" he joked as they parted, and the hacker laughed long and loud.

"Eliot" Nate nodded to his friend, who nodded back similarly.

"Merry Christmas, man" he replied as they shook on the sentiment - apparently that was as good as it was going to get with those two right now.

Sophie rolled her eyes and muttered something about men being ridiculous or useless or whatever, but nobody paid any mind. Most of the attention was now on Parker as she bounced up and down like a kangaroo on a pogo-stick and tried in vain to see what Eliot had brought in the big bag that he was blocking her from getting to.

"Is it gifts? Is it food? What did you bring?" she demanded to know, struggling to get past the others and find the answers for herself.

"Hey, any chance of a little patience here?" Eliot urged her, taking her by the arms and encouraging her to sit down on the couch already.

Parker looked just mildly put out, but not for long as it seemed Santa-Eliot was about to share the secrets of the magic bag she so wanted into. She was pretty sure anyone dressed as the hitter was now shouldn't be cursing, though she heard him do so before he pulled off the beard and hat he wore, revealing a red bandanna holding his hair back as it had been the day before.

"Hey, you mean you ain't really Santa?" checked Hardison with a grin that soon had Eliot smiling too.

"That thing itches like hell, man!" he reminded him, as everyone took a seat and waited for what came next, "Okay, so... I think we've all been pretty good this year, right?" he joked, "More or less?" he said, as he looked to Nate.

"Close enough" he shrugged in agreement as Eliot pulled gifts from his bag and handed them to each of his friends.

Hardison was tearing into the wrapping the moment the box hit his hands, and Parker was barely any further behind. Sophie said a proper thank you before carefully untying the ribbon on her box at a much more sedate pace, and Nate was so busy watching her he was quite startled to suddenly find a gift under his nose too.

"Eliot, you didn't have to..." he began, but the hitter shook his head.

"Everybody gets a gift at Christmas" he told him easily, "It's not just for kids" he said, tilting his head towards Hardison and Parker, "It's for Mom and Dad too" he teased, eyes sparkling with fun.

Nate was caught between wanting to laugh and knock the boy upside his head, but did neither. Instead he just thanked Eliot for being so thoughtful and looked to the box in his hands.

"Woah!" Hardison's reaction distracted everybody at once.

"I know its not as fancy as what Nate and Sophie got you..." Eliot was immediately on the defensive, but the hacker shook his head.

"Nah, man, this is... awesome" he grinned wide as he took the over-sized games console from the box, "This is like mint condition, prehistoric gaming technology" he explained, as Nate and Sophie looked on completely baffled, "You just... you cannot get these" he said with a look of wonder as he turned his eyes to Eliot.

"Hey, I'm Santa, I can do anything" the hitter shrugged, making no big deal out of the fact he'd found something so old and rare, and yet pristine.

"Oh, Eliot, these are just... they're gorgeous" Sophie gasped suddenly, her hand at her chest as she marvelled at what appeared to be just any old footwear to the rest.

"More shoes?" Nate looked to Eliot with surprise and a little disgust, "Seriously? You thought she needed _more_ shoes?"

"They're not just shoes, man" his friend assured him, "These are the latest from Italy. They won't even be on the catwalks until next Fall"

"How did you...?" Sophie began to ask, but immediately stopped when she realised he was never going to tell her, "Right. You're Santa, that's all I need to know" she smiled, as she jumped up from her seat to hug him and plant a kiss on his cheek, "Thank you so much, Eliot"

"You're welcome" he told her, feeling just a little like a school boy that impressed the teacher or something, before he turned his attention to Nate right as the lid came off his gift box.

A low whistle escaped the masterminds lips as he realised he had received a very classy and expensive watch. He knew how much it must've cost, or possibly how much of a risk it had been to steal. Honestly, he'd rather not ask which right now as he pulled the time-piece from its velvet lined position and studied it more closely.

"It's not stolen" Eliot assured him, as if maybe he'd read Nate's mind, "It, er... I actually bought it years ago, for my Dad" he explained, "I never got a chance to give it to him and then... then it was too late" he said eventually, after clearing his throat twice, "I want you to have it now. Makes sense, y'know?" he said with a shrug, almost wishing he hadn't brought it here, or at least hadn't explained why.

Nate actually felt his eyes welling up then. Whether it was just the gratitude he felt or to hide the joyful tears he was bound to shed, he pulled Eliot roughly to him and hugged him tight. Nothing was ever going to completely take away the pain Nate felt over losing his real son, but now he had two more boys that looked to him in almost a father-figure role, not to mention a daughter as well. Perhaps he was more blessed here in this crazy thief life than he ever had been before.

It was no surprise that the Mastermind made excuses to walk away then, and Sophie followed to make sure he was okay. Hardison had wandered off before, engrossed in the old technology of his vintage console, and that just left Parker, still staring at her gift with complete confusion.

"Okay, what is this?" she asked Eliot then, "It's empty" she showed him the leather bound book she held in her hands, full of shiny but ultimately blank pages.

He smiled as he moved from the armchair to sit beside her on the couch.

"It's a scrapbook, Parker" he told her, "I know it's not fancy and expensive like the gifts everybody else got, and I'm sorry about that" he explained, "but I figured you have enough cash and you don't really like stuff" he recalled her telling him long ago, "I thought you could put all those pictures you take of the team in here, and some of your artwork and all" he explained, suddenly feeling like he just bought her the lamest gift ever.

It wasn't as if the blonde thief was easy to buy for. She was as rich as any of them, had more diamonds and jewellery than one woman could wear in a lifetime, and really wasn't into any other material things in life at all. Eliot had been forced to think outside the box to find her a gift and this was what he came up with. For a long moment he sat staring at her, waiting for some kind of reaction, be it good or bad. When she remained silent so long and then her eyes started to well with tears, he worried.

"That's like... the most thoughtful thing anybody ever did for me" she said eventually, smiling even as tears streaked down her rosy cheeks, wondering at how he had been the one to notice how much she liked to take photos and draw pictures - nobody else seemed to pay any mind.

"I tried" he shrugged awkwardly, "I just wanna make you happy, darlin'. I want this day to be good for you"

She knew he meant it and he had certainly achieved his goal. Throwing herself at him, Eliot suddenly found his arms and lap full of Parker as she hugged him tight and thanked him whole-heatedly for the best present in the world.

"It's just a scrapbook, Parker" he reminded her, though he hugged her back all the same and didn't mind at all at the way they were positioned right now.

"I didn't mean the book" she told him, her nose almost touching his as she looked at him, "You came back, that's the best present I could've got" she told him honestly.

Eliot smiled at that, there was nothing else he could do. He was glad to be here with his odd little family and he was going to try his best to enjoy the day, not worrying about the past that might try to haunt him or the future that threatened long away in the distance. The here and now was what mattered, the present day with his make-shift family and Christmas that ought to be spent celebrating in love and joy and wonder.

"Oh, I got you something too!" she said suddenly scrambling off his lap, and returning all of five seconds later with a badly-wrapped gift in her hands.

Eliot could've sworn it was the same one he'd seen last night when Hardison as the Ghost of Christmas Present brought him here. Still, he shook off the strange chill that ran through him, and thanked Parker for the gift before carefully removing the paper.

"Sometimes you seem lonely" she gave some kind of quiet explanation, as Eliot unwrapped his gift and looked a little surprised to find it was in fact a soft toy.

It wasn't a bear as anyone might expect, but a rabbit, dressed up in a shirt and pants... with a bandanna tied up around his ears. If anyone else gave Eliot such a childish, girly gift he might have been mad, but from Parker, he knew it was meant in the sweetest most thoughtful way. She wasn't wrong when she called him lonely and she knew because she was too. This team was all that was keeping them from being all too isolated in the cold, cruel world. All they had right now was each other, and this brought home to him once again how much he ought to treasure that.

"Thank you, Parker" he smiled widely at her then, still a little over-awed but genuinely grateful, "Seriously, thank you"

"You're welcome" she shrugged like it was no big deal, one hand straying to the bag he had since abandoned on the ground.

There was still plenty of stuff in it and though she knew it was greedy to appear to be looking for more gifts, the curiosity of what else he was hiding in there was killing her. Her eyes went wide when she realised Eliot had another type of gift planned for everybody, if the contents of the bag was anything to go by.

"Is this dinner?" she asked, wide-eyed and smiling.

"Yes, nosey Parker" he teased her, slapping her hand away before she managed to actually take anything from his Santa sack of her own accord, "We got turkey, we got trimmings, the whole works" he told the team easily as he took the bag into the kitchen and started pulling out all he needed to begin.

"Eliot, you don't have to do all this" Sophie assured him, "We'll all pitch in"

"Damn right you will" the hitter assured her, with a good-natured smile.

Parker looked around from Eliot in the kitchen to Sophie at the counter, Nate at the table and Hardison sat on the spiral staircase. With a grin as wide as any ever to be on her face she recalled a phrase she had heard many times in Christmas movies and yelled it without a care;

"God bless us every one!"

The End _...well, __not __really!_

**A/N2: This kinda should be the end of a lovely Christmas family fic, but the E/P shipper in me needs a little more. So, please come back tomorrow for a Bonus Extra Alternate/Extended Ending! ;)**


	6. Bonus Chapter

**A/N: Okay so first off, big thank yous to everyone who has reviewed on this story. Second, for all you E/P fans, here's a special Bonus Extra Scene, just for my lovely fellow shippers to squee over (I'm hoping it'll be squee-worthy for you all! lol). Its short, but it needed writing, so here it is!**

_**(For disclaimers, etc. - see chapter 1)**_

Bonus Extra Alternate/Extended Scene/Chapter

It was late in the evening, and it had been a wonderful Christmas Day. The team that were as much a family as anyone ever could be had gratefully received gifts, all helped out with making a delicious dinner under the supervision of Head Chef Eliot and then played the most ridiculous games until none could breathe for laughing.

They settled down across the couch and comfy chairs, in front of the huge vid screen, to watch a movie then, and now it was nearing midnight as the final scenes of It's A Wonderful Life played out, the little girl declaring that every time a bell rings a fairy gets its wings.

Sophie was practically in tears curled up beside Nate with his arm round her shoulders. Even Hardison looked moved and had long since put down his games and gadgets to pay proper attention to the Christmas classic. Eliot was smiling in spite of himself as Parker leaned into him, her head on his shoulder as he absently stroked her hair. Immediately the credits rolled and the movie ended, she yawned.

"It's been a long day" the hitter noted as she sighed against him.

"True dat" Hardison nodded, rubbing his eyes, "I should really be gettin' home" he declared as he tried to figure out how he was going to manage it - he was just so comfortable, full, and warm.

"You can stay over again, Hardison, it's fine" Nate assured him, "You all can, if you want"

"Hmm, that sounds like a plan" said Sophie as she looked up at him, her eyes shining.

The others tried not to think about the implications as 'Mom and Dad' went off to bed.

"You think we could leave the clean up til the morning?" the hacker asked his friends, even as Parker almost dozed off on Eliot's shoulder.

"I can get started now, you can help finish tomorrow" he agreed with the hacker, "Go get some sleep, man" he urged him.

"Thanks, bro" Hardison said thankfully, wishing them both a final Merry Christmas before he disappeared into the bedroom.

"C'mon, sleepyhead" Eliot urged the thief beside him to move, though honestly he was so damn comfortable here with her he almost wished she wouldn't, "Can't stay here forever"

"I could" she argued, with her eyes still closed, leaning into him all the more if it were possible, "I could stay in this day forever; it's been perfect" she smiled, looking up at him then with wide innocent eyes that Eliot was sure a man could drown in.

"Parker..." he began but got no further as the urge to kiss her got the better of him and he did just that.

The lack of stabbing was good. She didn't even struggle to get away, in fact, Eliot was pretty sure that Parker was kissing him back after a moments pause. When they parted he wasn't sure how she was going to react even then and was surprised when she laughed out loud.

"Ha, that mistletoe stuff really works" she chuckled, pointing above their heads.

Eliot was momentarily confused until he glanced up and realised they were indeed underneath a clump of the very plant she mentioned. It wasn't why he had kissed her though it concerned him now that it might be the only reason she responded.

"Yeah, that's why we kissed" he muttered, feeling dumb and moving away fast before he made an even bigger fool of himself.

Parker either didn't notice he was acting strange or didn't care as she grabbed up fallen wrapping paper and food packets from the floor and brought them over to the trash bag on the counter. She watched Eliot for a moment as he wrapped up leftovers to put in the fridge and dumped used plates and cups into the sink. Without a moments hesitation she rounded the counter then with an over-zealous swing and grabbed Eliot from behind hugging him tight.

That same strange feeling went through him that had happened when she handed him his gift earlier. This had happened last night too, in the view of a possible happy future that he might have. Parker had come and hugged him just like this whilst he was working in the kitchen. He had wondered at it then and was just as confused by it now.

"What's this for?" he asked, craning his neck to see her better.

"I don't know" she shrugged, "Christmas?" she guessed at her own behaviour, "because you're weirdly huggable for a grumpy person?" she giggled as he turned around and glared at her, albeit she was pretty sure he was just messing around, "Because I wanted to see if it felt as good to kiss you when there was no mistletoe?" she offered up what he guessed might just be the truth then.

Without bothering to think about it, he pulled her in close before she had a chance to argue and kissed her tenderly on the lips. Parker melted into the moment until just as quick as it started it was over, and she sighed.

"Yup, just as good" she declared, making Eliot smile as he pushed her hair out of her face and let his fingers run down her cheek.

"What is this?" he asked, as his hand came away with no small amount of silver glitter stuck to it, "It's been coming offa you all day"

"Oh, that?" she said, looking shifty for a moment as she stepped out of his embrace, "Fairy dust?" she offered with a smirk that just would not be repressed.

Eliot didn't get a chance to ask for further explanation as she planted another kiss on his lips and then darted away.

"Nah, they couldn't've..." said Eliot to himself, "Could they?"

He thought about the possible explanation running through his mind for all of ten seconds before deciding he honestly didn't care. Parker was right, today really had been as close to perfect as any day could get. From now on Eliot intended to ensure that every Christmas was like this, for the sake of himself and his team/family and most of all for Parker, as he echoed those words she had said before and meant so much it seemed;

"God bless us, every one"

The End

_(for real this time!)_

**A/N2: May I wish you all a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Seasons Greetings, as is appropriate to you and yours :-)**


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